The following is my syndicated column that appeared May 27, 2003. It is more correct today than at the time I wrote it. See for yourself.
There are varying forms of inflicted victimization, but ultimately they all emanate from three primary arenas. They are affirmative action, the Democratic Party, i.e., elite social-liberal racists, and the so-called black leadership.
The inflicted victimization of affirmative action is that it engenders an attitude of expectation as opposed to an attitude of incentive. A practical example of this would be athletics. The bar is never lowered for the athlete — rather it is continuously being raised.
You don’t make a professional roster just to achieve a diverse mix of players. The teams are not comprised on the basis of how many blacks, Hispanics, homosexuals and women there are proportionately. They are comprised on the basis of "assemble the very best regardless of ethnicity/color" in order to have the best chance of winning (the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Browns notwithstanding).
There are also alternative leagues in which to hone one’s skills. They may not offer the same money or prestige, but you are still able to play.
My (former) family business (was) owned and operated by a black person — me. Yet 99 percent of my client base (was) white.
My clients did not seek me out because I (am) black —nor (did) they continue our association because I am black.
They came and they (stayed) because they trusted my ability (in the insurance and investment business, which is one of the most competitive, cutthroat industries there is).
Another thing affirmative action does is paint all with the same brush stroke. If you are a student on an Ivy League campus, the thought is (verbalized or not) that you are there because of affirmative action.
Affirmative action allows for failure or lack of success to be viewed as, "It’s because I am (whatever)." Failure or lack of success is rarely if ever put in the context of, "Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be an engineer," or "Maybe I should attend a junior college."
The elite social-liberal racist is another primary source of inflicted victimization. Consider: On April 26, 2003, Jeff Kunerth, staff writer for The Orlando Sentinel, wrote an article titled "Income Rises, Poverty Falls for Black Families in ’90s."
Kunerth’s article began: "Despite the economic downturns, black families nationwide are better off than they were in the mid-1990s, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Census Bureau."
Kunerth uses Census Bureau data to point out strident gains for blacks in America. George Will, David Almasi — director of Project 21, a conservative black think tank in Washington — and John Logan, director of the Lewis Mumford Center at the University of Albany, N.Y., all make the same point.
But Sam Dillon of the liberal New York Times, in an April 30 article, "Report Finds Number of Black Children in Deep Poverty Rising," quotes a study by the ultra-liberal Children’s Defense Fund, a child welfare advocacy group.
The Times article, not surprisingly, is approximately 700 words of elite social-liberal distortion designed to keep blacks bent over and bitter, as opposed to upright and optimistic.
Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press (April 30) wrote "Group: More Black Kids in Extreme Poverty" — yet another "poor black folk’s story."
As for the Democratic Party itself, the first chapter of its manual on how to keep black votes on the plantation is, "Tell them they’re victims of slavery, oppression, white Republican bigotry and make them think they cannot succeed without our blessings, vis-à-vis handouts," with the introduction being: "This really works."
Per inflicted victimization by the so-called black leaders, I defy anyone to tangibly prove to me how he or she has been improved by the actions of Kweise Mfume, the Congressional Black Caucus, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the (modern day) NAACP, Julian Bond, Carol Moseley-Braun or Maxine Waters.
The virulent vitriol of "it’s because you are black," or you are "poor, descendants of slaves," or "it’s the white man’s fault," or "you deserve reparations" do not count — nor do $800 suits, private jets, stretch limousines, opulent office suites or extravagant dinners in restaurants many people would not be able to wash dishes in.
Self-inflicted victimization is what blacks do to one another, e.g., black-on-black crime and extortion.
Inflicted victimization, to paraphrase Booker T. Washington, is the insidious external messages from "that class of people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and hardships of the Negro race before the public; and who do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, lest they themselves lose their jobs," and their votes.
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Mychal S. Massie is the former National Chairman of the conservative black think tank, Project 21-The National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives; and a member of its parent think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research. You can find more at mychal-massie.com.
